


see you soon

by halfwheeze



Series: Marvel Spookytober 2019 [12]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Bittersweet, Bucky goes by James, Discussion of Death, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Reincarnation, because historic au or whatever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-14 14:27:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21017267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfwheeze/pseuds/halfwheeze
Summary: James has lost his Samuel a million times... one more shouldn't hurt so severely.





	see you soon

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Day 13 of Spookytober!  
Prompt: Queen/King
> 
> Now, I know what you're thinking. "But Mer, you didn't do day 12!" I know this. I got caught up in stuff and missed it. Sue me. 
> 
> Also, bingo fills!:  
Bucky Barnes Square C3: Reincarnation AU  
SamBucky Square N4: Royalty AU

James recognises the prince long before he’s close enough to see the man’s face; it’s all in the stance, all in how he holds himself. This royal, this absolute beauty of a man, is his Samuel, he knows it. James tries not to look so enamoured as he has in the past, just in case this is one of those lives (many, many unfortunate lives), in which he remembers their past and Samuel does not. Sam. His Sam. So close and yet so far, James does not reach for him even when he is close enough to see the smile lines on his face, the way that his eyes carry his joy so beautifully. When Samuel turns and sees him, James knows. There is no mistaking that single look. 

Samuel has no idea who he is. 

That’s okay. They’ve fallen in love a thousand times, a million, more times than James can even keep together in his head. A pair of Vikings sailing the southern seas, journeymen on the silk road, pirates on the Medditerranean, they’ve been thousands of people together. They’ve lived so many lives. Samuel can love him again, maybe. Being close to him will be enough, and as a knight being newly introduced to the King’s guard, the prince will not be far from his reach. It’s only when the prince takes him aside that James is confused, completely waysided by the attention. 

“James,” Samuel greets him, leaning into his space into the small cleaning room that he has brought James into, and James feels relief leak into his bones. He reaches out for Sam despite his better interest, puts a hand on his cheek that Sam leans into, and he has to swallow for the tears he knows are collecting beneath his eyes. It had been thirty long years this time, thirty years of wanting and waiting, and to know that Sam knows who is this time, to know that he’s so close, so perfect. 

“Sam,” he says, quiet, before leaning in to kiss the love of his lives. Sam pulls him in and keeps him close, extending the originally chaste kiss into something with an amount of feeling that bowls James over, nearly knocks him flat. When Sam pulls away, albeit reluctantly, James does not chase him, despite the desire. 

“I’m going to be assassinated in a few days,” Sam says, sudden and shocking, like being dropped directly into a vat of icy water. James does not control the sharp noise that comes out of his throat, high and protesting. A thousand things run through his mind, each making less sense than the last, until all he can think of is his soulmate’s name, the name of his supposed future king, the name of the one stolen from him. 

“Sam,” he says again, a whisper filled with despair, and Sam smiles at him, a little broken, a little sad, but the same smile that James remembers. It burns just as much as it soothes. It always has. 

“I need you to let it happen. I get assassinated, the country goes to war and eradicates the poverty in the south. You have to let me go,” Sam insists, hands cupping his face. The hands are warm where they wipe at the tears streaming down James’s face unbidden, because stopping himself seems impossible at this point. Sam doesn’t seem to mind the intrusion of emotion, just reaching to comfort. It’s just like Samuel to sacrifice himself for the good of the country he was born to, just like him to let himself die even when he knows the plot before it occurs. James wants to save him. 

“But I just got you back,” James protests weakly. They’ve both done it. Die early, save the world, do your best. It’s their pattern of success, and they always find each other again, whether they remember or not. Sam will die, and James will die later, and they’ll find each other again someday. 

James just… he doesn’t want it to come to pass yet. He didn’t expect to only have Sam for a moment, for a day, for less than a week. They’ve had less than a year before, less than half of that, but they’ve never had less than a month before. To be expected to lose Sam again in less than a week is nothing short of cruelty. 

“And you’ll get me back again, I promise. In a week’s time, I will be gone. But you’ll find me again. We are the gods’ great love story, my James. There is no way even you will lose me forever,” Sam whispers, the last part coming out with the barest hint of a tease. James laughs, just a little, because it’s the least he can do for his perfect man, for his prince. Even when neither of them are royalty, Sam will always be the closest thing to royal that James will ever touch. 

“I’ll find you,” James promises, setting his forehead against Sam’s. He’ll find him. He has to. Sam kisses him again, slow and soft and perfect, everything that James could ever want, and he’ll only get it for a few days this time. He pulls James in and keeps him so close it feels as if they’ll meld together, finally together forever, finally unable to be pulled apart, finally, finally, finally. 

“You always do. I’ll see you soon, my love,” Sam says, and then he’s leaving their shared space, leaving James cold without him. He wants to cry and scream, wants to lose his mind before he loses his Samuel, wants to hear him speak even when he is not there, but there is no way he can allow that. With such little time left, losing his mind will only bloodlet what moments they can spend together, and James can hardly stand the moments that he is wasting composing himself while Samuel is outside of this room, likely being stalked by the man that he will allow to kill him. James shakes himself. 

They only have a few days left. James will make the most of them, even if it’s soon fit to kill him. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Kudos and comment!
> 
> Yell at me @primekent on tumblr!


End file.
